It has frequently been said that our reading of Scripture should not be for information but for transformation. However, we so easily lose sight of this.
As we read God’s Word, we often say to ourselves, “Oh, I didn’t know that” or, “That’s a good reminder” or, “Hmmm, that’s interesting” or, “I have no idea what that even means” or, …
But our lives will never change if our brains are merely containers for intellectual content and our purpose in reading is merely to fill them.
James K. A. Smith said,
“Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into our mind; he is after nothing less than our wants, our loves, our longings. His ‘teaching’ doesn’t just touch the calm, cool, collected space of reflection and contemplation; he is a teacher who invades the heated, passionate regions of the heart.”
William B. Yeats once said,
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.”
As we read, study, ponder, and pray, does it all light a fire in our hearts that then changes our desires, longings, priorities, and values? Or does it merely fill our information bucket an inch or two higher?